1680 minutes
Traditional Chinese dumplings made with glutinous rice, pork belly, mung beans, and duck egg yolk, wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Dried Bamboo Or Reed Leaves, soaked
each
Short-grain Glutinous Rice, uncooked
cups
Raw Shelled Skinless Peanuts, raw
cups
Boneless Pork Belly, cut into pieces
0 lb
Light Soy Sauce, divided
cups
Shaoxing Wine
tablespoons
Fine Sea Salt, divided
tablespoons
Five-Spice Powder
teaspoons
teaspoons
White Pepper Powder
teaspoons
Split Mung Beans, split
cups
Chinese Cured Pork Sausages, sliced
each
Salted Duck Egg Yolks, salted
each
1. Pre-soaking
Submerge bamboo leaves in water with a weight on top. Soak rice and peanuts in separate bowls of water. Refrigerate all overnight.
2. Pork Marinade
Combine pork belly with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon salt, five-spice, sugar, and white pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge.
3. Mung Bean Soak
Immerse mung beans in water for 1 hour on the day of assembly.
4. Leaf Prep
Rinse and trim soaked leaves, keeping them moist in a bowl.
5. Rice Seasoning
Drain rice and mix with 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1½ teaspoons salt.
6. Drain and Season
Drain peanuts and mung beans, combining beans with ½ teaspoon salt.
7. Sausage Slicing
Cut sausages into 14 rounds.
8. Leaf Formation
Overlap two leaves and shape into a cone.
9. Layering
Start with mung beans, then add rice, pork belly, sausage, duck yolk, and peanuts. Top with more rice and beans.
10. Seal and Secure
Fold leaves to enclose filling and tie with string.
Typically filled with mung beans, pork belly, salted duck egg yolks, and shiitake mushrooms. The pork belly is marinated with soy sauce, oyster sauce, five-spice powder, and other seasonings.
This variant often includes a sweeter and richer filling, with ingredients like five-spice marinated pork, peanuts, and sometimes even dried oysters and dried shrimp.
Use marinated shrimp, scallops, or even fish as the protein for a seafood twist on the traditional Zongzi.
Add seasoned shrimp, scallops, or even a small piece of fish for a lighter, yet umami-rich option.
Swap the bamboo leaves for lotus leaves, which will impart a unique, slightly sweet fragrance to the rice.
Select fresh, intact bamboo leaves for their traditional fragrance. If dry, soak them overnight to make them pliable for wrapping.
Practice wrapping to create a tight, well-sealed package, allowing room for rice expansion without overstuffing.
Soak glutinous rice for 4-6 hours or overnight for the correct texture, and drain well before using to prevent a mushy outcome.
Cook in boiling water for at least 2 hours, keeping them fully submerged and topping off water as needed for flavors to meld and rice to cook through.
Season the rice with soy sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder before wrapping to ensure each grain is flavorful.
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